Def Leppard News - VIVIAN CAMPBELL Says DEF LEPPARD To Have New Album Session This Month In Dublin

Monday, 9th March 2020

VIVIAN CAMPBELL Says DEF LEPPARD To Have New Album Session This Month In Dublin

By Chele Drappel

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has been interviewed by New York radio and mentioned work on the next studio album.

Vivian spoke to Steve King of Q105.7 radio in Albany, NY to promote the 20/20 Vision tour.

Vivian talked about The Stadium Tour, 20/20 Vision Tour, Billy Gibbons/ZZ Top, Two Sides of If album, 2020 tour preparations, guitar influences, Thin Lizzy, Next Def Leppard Album, mew music, Rock Star Stu and his new charity initiative.

New Def Leppard Album Writing Session

Vivian says Joe, Phil and Sav are getting together later this month in Dublin for an initial writing session. He suggests one or more of them must have a new song ready to go that they are excited about.

In another recent interview Vivian also referenced writing sessions being scheduled without giving away too many details.

2020 Tour Rehearsals In April

He also said the band will get together in late April at least a week ahead of the Mexico City festival shows to rehearse.

The Stadium Tour Charity Work/Rock Star Stu

Vivian again mentioned his new charity plan for The Stadium Tour and how it will involved his dog Stu. He said he plans to auction personal Meet and Greets involving himself and his dog.

Listen to the full 12 minute interview below,

Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).

Q105.7/Steve King - Vivian Campbell Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

The Stadium Tour

"Yeah it's an exciting year for us we're doing the Stadium Tour as you mentioned and then off the back of that we finally get to tour with ZZ Top for the first time ever. So we're all big fans of the band, have been for many many years."

"As a guitarist I'm a big big Billy Gibbons fan. very excited about that."

Billy Gibbons/ZZ Top

"He is and he's got some great stories you know. I don't really know Billy that well, but he was generous enough to give me some of his time. About 15 years ago I did a blues record in Los Angeles."

"And I totalled cold called him. I got his number off some people in the industry and I called him up. 'Hey you don't know me. I'm Viv Campbell the guitar played in Def Leppard. Would you play on my record.'."

"So he was very generous. I mean he came along and not only did he play on the song that I wanted him to play. It was an album of blues covers and I knew he was an early Fleetwood Mac fan. You know Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac. So I asked him to play on a Fleetwood Mac song and he came along and he also wrote a song that we put on that record."

"So he's a great guy."

"I know 'cause most of the time I would say don't ever meet your heroes because they turn out to be A-Holes you know. they only disappoint you but in Billy's case he came through with flying colours."

How are you preparing for these two major tours?

"I'll try and eat less cheese leading up to the tour you know. I';ll try and curtail my beer in take a little bit. You know I'm always working. Like I say I've got a band called Last In Line which is a little side project."

"A serious side project. We're working on our third album and we're constantly doing shows. So I'm always out. Like I was out playing shows with Last In Line last weekend. And I've got a bunch more shows coming up in the ensuing months before the Leppard tour starts."

"So you know the upside of that is I feel I'm always sharp as a guitar player. In fact I don't think I've ever played better in my life than I have in recent years."

"Although with Leppard the gig is much more intense 'cause it's about singing as well. The vocals in Def Leppard are what really I think set us apart from any other hard rock band you know."

"They're live we do them real. And you know we do them really really well and we pride ourselves on that."

"And so I'm gonna have to start singing a lot more 'cause in Last In Line I refuse to sing. I just put my head down and play guitar. You know it's all good. But yeah I probably need to not to go the cheese drawer so much at night you know."

Next Def Leppard Album

"I heard that rumour too. No I heard it in an email. I think Joe and Phil and Sav are getting together in the next couple of weeks to start working on something."

"Unfortunately by the time I got wind of the schedule I was already booked to do some shows with Last In Line. But it's just an initial writing session. ."

"You know Joe's always writing songs. In fact everyone in this band is always writing songs. We always have something in our back pocket."

"So someone obviously has a burning desire and a song that they really believe in and get the ball rolling. So having said that it's just an initial session and Def Leppard records take a long time to come together."

"So, you know, we'll be together pretty soon to start rehearsals for the tour and in fact we have a one-off show in Mexico on Mat 1st, a festival date.."

"So we'll be rehearsing for a week or ten days before that and you know that's when we'll probably start to swap ideas and talk about a schedule. But realistically it'll be next year before we get in to actually make a record of any shape you know."

Great to hear that you guys are going that direction/New Music

"Well it's important. I mean people say what is the point. 'Cause even a band of Def Leppard's stature world wide, you know, we don't sell an awful lot of records comparatively. You know when you compare it to the heydays of the '80s."

"I don't think anyone really does. Def Leppard or any act you know. But that's not really the point. the point is, you know, you've gotta keep creative. You've gotta keep creative as a unit or as individuals. And like I said we're always writing songs you know and it's important to flew that muscle."

"And you know even if we only sold a dozen copies of a record. You know we'd still do it because it's important for us to keep the band vital you know."

"And that vitality is incumbent upon the band in writing and recording new music you know. We gotta keep moving forward."

Bringing Rock Star Stu On Tour?

"Oh yeah yeah. I mean you know when I go out and do dates with Last In Line a lot of people ask me is Stu here. Is Stu here?. And Stu doesn't do club tours. He doesn't like the van.We tour in a splinter van and the middle seat of a South West flight you know."

"With Def Leppard we have luxurious tour buses and whatnot and he saves himself for that."

the Stadium Tour Charity Initiative

"But he will be on tour with me. in fact I'm gonna try and pimp him out this summer."

"I'm starting to put together an initiative for a bunch of different charity work and I'd like to use Stu to actually raise some money for local SPCA Humane Society and whatnot you know. So watch out for that coming. I'm gonna be auctioning off a personalised meet and greet with Stu."

"He's a good little guy yeah."